About

Dr. Cara L. Cuite serves as an Associate Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, as well as the Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University. She is a health psychologist whose research focuses on food security and risk communication. Dr. Cuite leads research programs addressing basic needs insecurities among Rutgers students and collaborates with community partners on food security projects across New Jersey. She is the lead for the Food Security Community Learning Table for the Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health. Her risk communication outreach and research concentrate on food safety, genetically engineered foods, and weather-related emergencies, and she has conducted risk communication trainings both within the US and internationally. Her work has been supported by various organizations including the United States Department of Agriculture, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the Office of the NJ Secretary of Higher Education, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Cuite completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at Rutgers University and holds a B.S. in Psychology and Modern Languages from Union College.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Psychology
• Business
• Materials science
• Ecology
• Medicine
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry
• Food science
• Geography
• Marketing
• Microeconomics
• Economics
• Environmental health
• Public relations

Selected publications

• Understanding Barriers to SNAP Enrollment Among Families Participating in Free and Reduced School Meals in New Jersey

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2025-08-01 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Food Security Toolkit for Educators: A Crowd-Sourced Resource Developed by SNEB Members to Improve Educational Practices and Outcomes

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2025-01-01

  editorialOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Food Insecurity Among Non-U.S. Citizen College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Large Public University

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2025-05-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Food Insecurity Among LGBTQIA+ College Students: A Qualitative Needs Assessment for Inclusive Nutrition Interventions

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2025-08-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• VeggieRx: Utilization and Outcomes of Promise Clinic’s Produce Prescription Program Addressing Food Insecurity in Uninsured Communities

  Journal of Student-Run Clinics · 2025-09-26

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background: Food insecurity has profound implications for health outcomes and can exacerbate health disparities in vulnerable communities. VeggieRx is a fruit and vegetable produce prescription program implemented by the Homeless and Indigent Population Health Outreach Project’s Promise Clinic (PC), a student-run free clinic for the uninsured, with the goal of increasing access to fresh produce in this population. Methods: PC patients were enrolled in VeggieRx by volunteer Student Doctor teams and completed an intake survey. During the VeggieRx season, participants received up to four $30 to $60 prescription vouchers redeemable for fresh produce at the local farmer’s market. Post-surveys administered at the conclusion of the season assessed preliminary outcomes and areas for program improvement. We use descriptive statistics to describe survey responses of VeggieRx participants enrolled over three recent seasons (2021-2023), assessing baseline diet perceptions, program utilization, and self-reported diet outcomes. Results: Of all established PC patients, Student Doctor teams enrolled a total of 50 participants in the 2021-2023 VeggieRx seasons. Nearly half of patients reported not eating enough fruits and vegetables at 42%, with 58% of participants reporting affordability as a barrier to access and 22% reporting limited availability nearby. After VeggieRx, 61.9% of participants reported improvement in their fresh produce consumption, with 19.0% eating "a lot more" and 42.9% eating "somewhat more." Consecutive seasons had an increase in returning users, where nearly 41% of VeggieRx 2023 users had been enrolled in a previous season. Conclusion: Veggie Rx provided PC patients with increased access and affordability to fresh produce, demonstrating the feasibility of implementing produce prescription programs in student-run free clinics. This innovative care model integrates medical education with the ability to address food insecurity in diverse populations and form long-lasting relationships with community health partners. Future efforts will be aimed at increasing program accessibility and expanding its reach.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Innovation in SNAP Outreach: Engaging a Community College in Visual Storytelling

  Community College Journal of Research and Practice · 2025-07-31

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Art as Advocacy: Food Insecurity and SNAP Outreach With a Socially-Engaged Arts Project

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2024-07-26

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Effectiveness of conservation messages to reduce households' GHG emissions: A serious-gaming experiment

  Journal of Environmental Management · 2024-01-01 · 11 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Food Insecurity Knowledge and Training Among College Students in Health Majors

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2024-09-24 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• What predicts hurricane evacuation decisions? The importance of efficacy beliefs, risk perceptions, and other factors

  npj natural hazards. · 2024-08-21 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  Risk theories and empirical research indicate that a variety of factors can influence people’s protective decisions for natural hazards. Using data from an online survey that presented coastal U.S. residents with a hypothetical hurricane scenario, this study investigates the relative importance of cognitive risk perceptions, negative affect, efficacy beliefs, and other factors in explaining people’s anticipated evacuation decisions. The analysis finds that multiple factors, including individual and household characteristics, previous experiences, cognitive and affective risk perceptions, and efficacy beliefs, can help predict hurricane evacuation intentions. However, the largest amount of variance in survey participants’ evacuation intentions is explained by their evacuation-related response efficacy (coping appraisals) and their perceived likelihood of getting hurt if they stay home during the storm. Additional analysis explores how risk perceptions and efficacy beliefs interact to influence people’s responses to risk information. Although further investigation in additional situations is needed, these results suggest that persuading people at high risk that evacuating is likely to reduce harm can serve as an important risk communication lever for motivating hurricane evacuation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• William K. Hallman

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  70 shared

• Carol Byrd‐Bredbenner

  26 shared

• Anne C. Bellows

  Syracuse University

  20 shared

• Devon L. Golem

  17 shared

• Rachael Shwom

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  13 shared

• Julie L. Demuth

  NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research

  10 shared

• Rebecca E. Morss

  NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research

  10 shared

• Neal H. Hooker

  The Ohio State University

  9 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Psychology

  Rutgers The State University of New Jersey

  2003

• M.S., Psychology

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  1998

• B.S., Psychology and Modern Languages

  Union College

  1992